So finally with Bhai Dooj Diwali is over .The festival of lights is one of the most beautiful festivals of India .With twinkling lights on the Multi storied apartments Delhi looked like a fairyland .This time it seems Delhi experienced much less pollution than laast years as it was NO to fire crackers .It is good for environment no doubt but than it also means that children have little or no enthusiasm .Diwali is just another day for them .Parents hang the electric bulbs and also do the cleaning and the decorations .Mom prepares special sweets (that too are often bought )So what do the kids do ?Lighting crackers and fireworks kept them excited and busy and also very much involved .So I found most of the kids spending the Diwali night in front of TV .Environmentalists are going to kill me for saying this but please for one night let the kids be kids and have all the fun and frolic and fireworks (ofcourse with safety precautions )
Another change that has happened now is about exchanging sweets .Till someyears back Diwali sweets meant exchanging Thalis with your neighbours .The thalis had mandatory Kheel Batashe and than home made sweets So we looked forward to different types of sweets Sandesh ,Puran poli ,Gujhiya Choorma .It was interesting fare .What happens now is that there are no traditional sweets .All of us buy Haldiram ,Bikanerwala ,Aggarwaals ,Cadbury ,s Priyagold .......................gift packs and exchange them .This year I have doubts that one Haldi ram pack I gave to someone has come back to me via a circuitous route .Next year just to be sure I will certainly put asticker on the boxes to see how many come back tome.The only good thing I can think about this barter system is that since we just pass on the sweets there is no risk of putting on Diwali fat .